“You never know how long an op is going to take,” she’d said.
Luna slid the scrunchie from her wrist, speared her fingers through her long hair, and pulled it up into a high ponytail. She shoved her feet into her sneakers and pushed up off the cot. She thought about folding the blanket but didn’t want to be the last one into the briefing room. Because the last one to show up for a meeting had to fetch coffee from the break room for everyone.
She cast a quick glance at the monitors on the wall—all was quiet—and slid open her desk drawer. She rifled through all the stuff until her fingers brushed the pack of gum. She grabbed a piece, tore off the wrapper, and folded the minty gum into her mouth.
“That’ll have to do.” She grabbed her laptop from her desk and dashed down the hall.
Luna heard Boone’s voice as she approached the room and wished she’d taken a minute to at least check herself in a mirror.
You’re not interested, she reminded herself rather vehemently.
She stopped short, hugged her laptop to her chest like a shield, and entered the room.
Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him.
Of course, what was the first thing she did? She looked at him.
Their eyes connected, and she froze in place. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that—trapped in their own … whatever the heck it was—when Cole’s voice snapped her out of her stupor.
“Let’s go ahead and get started.” He sat at the head of the table.
On his right sat Golden Bailey, aka Viking; Calliope Daniels; and Lucas O’Halleran. He was one of the cousins. In addition to working together, he and Calliope were a couple, and they were a kick to be around.
Luna moved over to take the seat across from them, and Boone beat her to it. She looked up at him as he rolled back her chair. One corner of his sexy mouth lifted, as if challenging her to reject his gesture.
“Thank you,” she said.
Once she was seated, he plopped his tight butt into the chair right next to her.
How the heck did he always manage to do that? He’d ended up sitting next to her during pretty much every meeting since he joined the team.
Hawk sat on the other side of Boone and was talking to Viking.
Luna looked across the table and noticed Calliope watching them. She rolled her lips in, trying hard to hide her smile.
What was that about?
“Ignore her.” Lucas winked at Luna and bumped his shoulder against his fiancée’s.
“What?” Calliope bumped him back. “I think it’s awesome.”
Oh, great.Just what she needed—everyone thinking there was something going on between her and Boone and then blabbing to her sister.
After the meeting, she was going to have to set Boone straight. Whatever his endgame was, she wanted no part of it.
Eddie hurried into the room, stopped short, and looked around the table. “Ah, crap.”
Everyone started calling out their coffee orders for him.
“Luna?” He gave her a questioning look. “Did you want anything?”
“Sure, I’ll take a bottle of water,” she said. “Thanks.”
“Boone?”
“Thanks, man, I’m good.”
“Don’t start without me.” Eddie turned and hustled out of the room.
